A Beginner’s Guide to EV Training (Pokémon X and Y)

December 13th, 2013 by Anthony

Welcome back! So you’ve bred your perfect Pokémon and now you’re asking, “Woah, I’ve got these amazing Pokémon , and I need to train them! But how do I do that?” Well look no further because this guide is just for you! We’ll go through the 2 different ways you can EV Train your Pokémon in the shortest, easiest time possible.

What are EV’s?

EV’s, or Effort Values, are points giving to your Pokémon to boost in a certain stat. Your Pokémon can have up to a total of 510 EVs, with 255 max in one stat. For every 4 EVs your Pokémon receives, it will receive a +1 boost in that stat when it levels. For example:
I kill 4 Bellsprout, I will get +1 in the Attack stat

I kill 4 Skorupi, I will get +1 in the Defense stat and so on

EVs were created in 1st gen to make sure that Pokémon you trained were stronger than ones that were caught in the wild. This is partially the reason why your Pokémon always seem stronger than other trainer’s and wild Pokémon .

So why does this matter? Well, the more EVs you invest into your Pokémon , the stronger they will be. If you max out your Pokémon’s stats correctly, it can and will be a powerhouse.

So how do I EV Train?

Well first off, we’re gonna decide on your Pokémon’s role. Is it gonna be fast and powerful so you can kill Pokémon quickly? Or will it take hits like no one’s business? This should all be decided beforeEV training. Once you’ve decided your roles and what stats your gonna EV Train in, it’s time to start!

Super Training:

The first method is the most obvious method, Super Training. You can play the Super Training mini-game to boost your stat. Level 1 gives you 4 EVs, Level 2 gives you 8, and Level 3 gives you 12. That and a combination of the training bags should give you a fully EV’d Pokémon within about 30 minutes to an hour. Training bags are randomly received after a mini-game or just while you’re on the super training screen. The small bags give 1 EV, medium give 4, and the large give 12. It’s usually best to just throw out the small bags because it’s a waste of time.

Horde Battles:

This way is the fastest and best way to EV train, but takes some preparation. You will need

Pokerus

The Power Items (Power Band, Scarf, Bracer, etc)

A Pokémon with a move that can hit 5 Pokémon at once (Surf, Earthquake, etc)

A Pokémon with Sweet Scent (Oddish is best on this and can be found on Route 6)

This way is pretty simple. Give all the Pokémon you want to EV train Pokerus by placing a Pokémon with Pokerus next to the Pokémon you want to infect, then go into battles and run away until the Pokémon is infected. The Pokerus will double the EVs gained by the Pokémon and the Power items will give you +4 EVs. So for every horde battle, you’ll gain 50 EVs in one stat. Pretty good if you ask me. And since the experience share gives EVs to every Pokémon in the party, you can EV train more than 1 Pokémon at once! Here are all the places to train for a stat:

HP: Route 5 – Gulpin

Attack: Route 15 – Bellsprout

Defense: Route 10 – Nosepass

Sp.Attack: Frost Cavern – Vanillite

Sp.Defense: Route 7 – Hoppip

Speed: Route 8 – Wingull/Taillow

Using Sweet Scent has 100% chance of making hordes appear (unless it’s raining). Each one of these hordes will yield 50 EVs if you’ve followed the steps. So you’ll only have to go through 5 battles to get 250, then kill 1 of them without the Power Item attached for 252 then run away. It’s a great way to EV Train and the only method I use.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask us on our Facebook or Tumblr or in the comments. Also, here’s a great video to watch that goes over everything I’ve said if you’re more of a visual learner. I’ll go over Competitive Team Building and Pokémon Roles next time! Good luck EV Training!

Don’t forget you also have the Stat boosting Vitamins as well. They save alot of time and effort on stats you need to train in long run and short run. Since it’s easy to get alot of money in X & Y, paying for them shouldn’t be an issue.